


High Hopes

by NeverOutOfTime



Category: Artemis Fowl - Eoin Colfer
Genre: Angst, Character Bonding, F/M, Family Bonding, Gen, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Major Character Injury, Mentions of Death, Other, Romance, afbb21, artemis fowl big bang 2021, mentions of Anxiety/Depression
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-16 05:07:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29448255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeverOutOfTime/pseuds/NeverOutOfTime
Summary: After Opal Koboi escaped from Dr. Argon's clinic, Corporal Grub Kelp started to feel like maybe he wasn't meant to be a LEP officer. Over the course of the next few years, he navigated through a journey of self discovery including, but not limited to: college applications, family relationships, and romantic escapades.
Relationships: Grub Kelp/Chix Verbil, Grub Kelp/Lili Frond, Trouble Kelp/Holly Short, Trouble Kelp/Lili Frond
Comments: 6
Kudos: 13
Collections: Artemis Fowl Big Bang 2021





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Whew, its been a crazy past few months, but I'm so glad to finally be able to share this! (and to finally have enough to be able to post)
> 
> Thank you so so so much to Chars for being an excellent beta! I really could not have done this without your keen eye for even the smallest of details! Also a big thanks to Pokegeek151 for organizing the event! It's been a blast! 10/10 would do it again!

It all began a week after Julius Root's memorial plaque had been hung in the lobby of Police Plaza. After his shift, Grub made his way to Trouble's tiny office, knowing that the Major would still be busy with paperwork at this hour. His brother. In a desk job. He knew how frustrated Trubs was with it, but he was finding more ways to make the position more hands-on, which in itself was an impressive feat.

Grub hovered at the door for a moment, doubt creeping into his thoughts. He took a deep breath and knocked, tapping a secret code that he and Trouble had used as kids. Without waiting for a response, he pushed the door open.

"Trouble? I'm sorry if I'm interrupting at a bad time…"

Trouble had looked up from his work at the knock. "No, it's fine. I was about to wrap up anyways. I can finish this tomorrow. What's going on, Grub?" He motioned for his brother to have a seat. "What's wrong? And don't say nothing, because you have that look on your face," he added quickly, before Grub had a chance to protest.

Grub shook his head as he sank into a chair. "What isn't wrong these days? Honestly everything is a nightmare around here with Sool in charge."

Trouble merely nodded. He couldn't argue with that statement. Grub tugged at a loose thread in his jacket. "But I came here to make a confession… that night Foaly says that Opal supposedly escaped… I was on guard duty. It's my fault she got out. I wasn't paying attention and then the lights went out and everything was a blur." He was rambling, his words nearly unintelligible because of how fast he was speaking. 

Trouble held up his hand. "Grub. You did what anyone else would have done. No one took Koboi guard duty seriously."

Grub was frantic now, shaking his head. "No no no, listen. If I had been paying attention, Commander Root would still be here. Holly would still be here. And that… that _pig_ , wouldn't be in charge." His face was red with frustration and he swallowed hard, trying to compose himself. "Which is why I've come to give you this." 

He reached into his pocket and tossed his acorns onto Trouble's desk. "My resignation letter will be in Sool's inbox in the morning, but I wanted to tell you first. I.... I can't do this anymore Trubs. I can't work for someone like him. All he does is yell, but not like Root. Sool doesn't care about us."

Trouble was surprised to hear his brother speak so bluntly. He stared at the golden pin on his desk. "Grub… I.... " He couldn't find the words and he sat there, looking like a fish with the way his mouth opened and closed, his eyes wide with disbelief. He finally managed to get a few words out, still trying to wrap his head around what was happening.

"I thought you always wanted to be an officer?"

Grub shrugged. "I thought so too. Now I don't know what I want to do, but I'll figure it out. Don't tell Mummy. I've already filled out an application over at the Moonlight Cafe. They needed a barista. It will suffice for now."

Trouble slowly nodded, offering him a bit of a smile. "Of course, Grub. If this is what you want, then I'll support your decision."

"It is Trubs. I'll be fine. I'll figure something out."

A week later, an idea struck him while he was watching a movie, another one of those human Westerns he was so fond of. Movie forgotten, he hurried to look into the courses that the nearby universities offered. It was perfect, honestly. Why hadn't he thought of it before? 

Grub grinned as he scrolled through the major offerings at West Haven University. "Film studies… I suppose it's a start." he muttered to himself. "After all, if I hadn't been focusing on that movie, then perhaps Opal wouldn't have escaped and I wouldn't be in this position right now." 

Flash forward two months later, he was submitting his finally complete application, Trouble sitting nearby. Trouble had been completely supportive of his brother's decision, even mentioning that he might even be good at film critique. "All of that complaining has to be good for something right?," he'd said, laughing as Grub rolled his eyes in response.

Grub shook his head and suddenly handed Trouble his laptop. His hands were shaking. "I can't do it. I'll never get in."

"Nonsense. You've worked hard for this and I'm not letting you back out now." Trouble shook his head, laughing for a moment before checking over the form to make sure it was all filled out and then sending it and passing the computer back to his brother. 

Grub stared at the screen in front of him. 

_Application submitted! Thank you for your interest in West Haven University!_

No going back now. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, many thanks to Chars for betaing this chapter!
> 
> Edit: I forgot to mention. While the chapters are in chronological order, they jump around over the years. This chapter here takes place around the time of the Lost Colony.

Grub stared at the tiny words on his phone screen, taking the time to comprehend what he saw in front of him. The words started to blur together from the strain of staring at the brightness in the dim lighting of his apartment. Finally the gears clicked together and he snapped out of it, a grin stretching across his face. 

_Application Status: Congratulations! You have been admitted for the upcoming Fall semester. Please accept or decline this offer within the next 14 days. We’re excited to welcome you to the Phoenix family here at West Haven University!_

His hands shook as he clicked to accept the offer, his thumb hovering over the submit button. Was this what he wanted? Did he really think he could venture back into the academic world? Sure he was a good student, especially in his high school years, but well… He wasn’t 30 years old anymore. Then again… Did he really put all of that time into writing an 80 page analysis of the Hill of Taillte film trilogy to just deny admission? 

Grub sighed and rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. What was his problem? He’d been checking his application for the past month and now that he finally had an answer, he was hesitating? 

He looked at his watch; his brother should be getting off work soon, so perhaps he would just go and talk to Trubs about it? Honestly, Trouble did give the best advice. He had been completely supportive throughout the entire process of Grub quitting the LEP and pursuing an education. There were even times when Grub thought Trubs was more excited than he was himself.

That settled it, Grub thought, going to grab a jacket and his shoes. If he left now he could catch Trouble before he left Police Plaza, perhaps even go and grab some food as well. Grub knew that if his brother made it home there would be no dragging him out until the next morning-- unless there was an emergency, of course. He chuckled to himself as he locked his door, jiggling the doorknob a few times just to make sure it was secure. Even though it had been two months since he’d started living on his own, he was still a bit anxious when it came to the safety of the apartment complex. It was a small price to pay, however, in exchange for being within walking distance of West Haven.  
  
Grub set out towards Police Plaza, managing to snag a spot on the Stick. He figured it would cut his travel time almost in half, provided he got off at the right spot. He always got distracted going through the tunnel and forgot that Police Plaza was only a few blocks away. He sighed as he approached the tunnel, once again distracted by the pictures on the walls. Of course, most fairies were too busy going about their day to day business to pay attention to the story that the luminous pictograms told. _It is our history and more people should take the time to appreciate the effort put into designing the tunnel_ , he thought, before shaking his head to try and focus. He was going to miss his stop if he didn’t come back down into the real world.

One, two… bingo! Grub clumsily stepped off the moving belt just in time, nearly tripping on the uneven sidewalk. If he’d still been an officer, he definitely would have complained about it: but at the present moment he couldn’t have cared less. He hurried into the main lobby, squeezing through the crowds of officers, looking around for Trouble or at least someone that he knew. He happened to spot Major Ash Vein across the room and hurried over, trying to seem as casual as he could.  
  
Vein raised an eyebrow upon seeing the younger Kelp approach him. “Grub? What are you doing here?”  
  
“I was just looking for Trouble. I was hoping to catch him before he left work and I know that this is about the time his shift usually ends.”

The other elf suddenly turned a shade paler and he stepped off to the side with Grub, out of the way of the crowd. “Grub… I thought you knew. Clearly there must have been some sort of communication error….”  
  
Grub frowned, the tips of his ears tingling, just as they always did when he felt that something was wrong. “Knew what? What’s happened? Is Trouble okay?”

“Well, there was a shuttle accident over an hour ago. Your brother was out doing some routine security checks in E1. I don’t know all the details of what happened, but he was taken to Haven General… Hey, Grub! Wait!” He called out as Grub suddenly darted away, but he was gone in the next moment, pushing his way through the crowd and out the door. 

* * *

Grub burst through the doors of the hospital and slammed his hands down onto the receptionist's desk, startling the lavender haired pixie. “Trouble Kelp. Where is he?” 

The pixie blinked, still trying to process what was happening. “I…” 

“I’m his brother,” he added quickly, since that would probably help. “I heard there was an accident.”  
  
The pixie furrowed her brow and started typing away at her computer. In a few seconds, she had an answer for him and sat back in her chair, sighing. “I’m sorry, sir. No visitors at the moment. He’s just been brought out of surgery.”

“No visitors? What do you mean, no visitors?! I’m his brother! I need to see him.” Grub’s voice was rising in volume and pitch, catching the attention of many other of the hospital’s visitors. “I... I need to make s-sure he’s alright.” He swallowed and tried to calm himself as his voice grew shaky and more panicked. The tingling in his ears had increased and his own voice sounded far away. A panic attack was on the rise.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Kelp. I can’t let you in, family or not.” She pointed her pen towards a set of chairs in a corner. “Please don’t make a scene… you’re welcome to have a seat and we’ll let you know when Major Kelp can accept visitors.”

Grub gripped the edge of the desk, his teeth clenched tightly together. Definitely bad for his jaw, but he wasn’t concerned with that right now. The receptionist was right, he realized, as he slowly released his grip. It wouldn’t help if he caused a scene and got himself kicked out. Their mum was away in Atlantis with a group of friends, so he was all Trouble had right now. “You’re right. Of course… Sorry about that,” he muttered, turning and sulking over to sit in one of the chairs. He sat staring at his hands, every possible scenario running through his mind.

  
Honestly, Grub couldn’t help but be reminded of what had happened to their father all those years ago. True, Eldoris Kelp had been killed in an incident with a troll, not a shuttle accident, but Grub was panicking because while he didn’t remember much of his dad, he didn’t know if he could handle losing Trouble. His hands started to shake, but he sat on them and forced himself to take deep breaths as we waited for the next hour… or was it longer? He wasn’t paying attention to the time, but he knew that they would have told him by now if his brother was dead. Trouble was just hurt. Everything was fine. Everything was-

* * *

_Grub’s ears twitched as he reached to tug on his mum’s sweater, looking up at her with a wide-eyed gaze. The lights in Haven General Hospital were bright and reflected off of his violet irises. At fifteen, he was old enough to know that something was wrong, but what it was exactly was unclear. “Mummy… Mummy…”_

_Rosemary Kelp reached down to gently pat his head before continuing talking to the doctor about things too complex for the young elf to comprehend. Grub pouted and sulked over to stand beside his brother. Trouble, as he preferred to be called lately, was seated in one of the chairs and watching the conversation with a sullen expression on his face. He barely glanced at Grub. “Trub… Trub…why can’t we go see Dad?” He frowned, all he really wanted to do was go home. They’d been there over an hour now._

_Trouble sighed and turned to look at his little brother. “Dad’s hurt Grub. Real bad. The doctor is explaining it all to Mum right now. Now shh, I’m trying to listen… I… Maybe we’ll get to go see him soon.”_

_Sure enough, Mrs. Kelp walked over to her boys and leaned down to pick up Grub. “We can go see your father now… “ She looked like she wanted to say more, but her mouth opened and then closed again. She smiled softly, but her eyes told a different story._

_Grub frowned and put a little hand on her cheek. He had always been a sensitive child and he didn’t like seeing her look so sad. “Mummy… it's okay. They’re going to help Papa right?”_

_Rosemary just hugged him close for a moment. “Yes, baby… they’re doing everything they can.” she whispered, starting to walk down the hallway, knowing Trouble would follow behind her. She followed the doctor to a room, isolated in the back corner of the hall._

_The room was ice cold and the lights were off, save for a lamp on the table by the bed. Rosemary took a seat in the room’s only chair, holding Grub on her lap. Trouble walked around to stand on the other side of the bed. Eldoris Kelp lay still, looking up at the ceiling, acknowledging that he knew they were there by blinking slowly. The sheets had been pulled around him to cover the worst of his injuries, but his face was riddled with cuts and a particularly nasty scratch across his cheek._

_His hand twitched slightly as his wife gently took it in hers, gripping it tightly. “It’s alright darling… It’s okay, I promise. We all love you so much....” she whispered, letting her tears fall finally._

The next moments were a blur. Even as he got older, Grub wasn't completely sure what all had happened. He remembered his mother crying, unconsolable, and Trouble moving to stand beside her, his eyes steely. One thing that he could remember though, as clear as if he had seen it yesterday, was the way his father just stared up at the ceiling; the same vivid purple eyes that he had passed down to his sons staring blankly, the light in them shining no more. For years the memory haunted his dreams. 

Major Eldoris Kelp would be remembered as a hero, albeit one that had been reckless and disobeyed orders… but how could he stand by when a young pixie, no older than his youngest boy, had wandered into the area where a fully grown troll had been spotted? It was just barely within the residential sector and he was merely supposed to stay low and keep an eye on the troll up until Retrieval arrived. After all, the creature was merely exploring; curious creatures trolls were. Trolls were easily angered however and the pixie child would have been in grave danger if he had waited much longer, though in actuality, it was his own movements that caught the troll's attention and ultimately, he paid the worst price imaginable.

From then on out, the Kelp brothers would be raised to be cautious, to be safe above all else. It was a bit late for it to really sink in for Trouble, who was forty years his brother's senior and was growing to be more and more like his father as the days went on. Which he had been before the accident really. Grub however, was softer than his brother and as the baby he was coddled, more so in the years after his father died. Rosemary just wanted her boys to be safe and content, but it was no surprise to her, or anyone else, when Trouble announced his decision to join the LEP Academy. He had always looked up to Eldoris and she knew that he wanted to help the People in any way he could.

The real shock would come later, when Grub made the same choice. He was determined to follow in Trouble's footsteps, for even as timid as he was, he was a Kelp after all. It was in his blood. He wanted to show that he too could be brave and keep Haven safe. He could make his father proud.

* * *

“Kelp?” Grub snapped out of his stupor and jumped up before the doctor could say anything else. He opened his mouth to speak, but his voice refused to work. This was it. One of his worst nightmares was coming true. 

Luckily the doctor-- whose name was Evergreen, Grub noticed-- could tell he was anxious and motioned for Grub to follow him as he explained the situation.

“Major Kelp is fine. We’ve got him all patched up, but he’s going to be out of action for at least a week or two. That’s the date of the next full moon and he needs to complete the Ritual before he gets back to work.” He flipped through the papers on his clipboard. “My orders, not Commander Sool’s,” he added. “It was his own magic that saved him, really. We just had to make sure there were no hidden injuries, especially internal ones.”

Grub nodded slowly, unable to look at him as he spoke. He just focused on putting one foot in front of the other. “I’m glad you guys were able to help him. I.... What exactly _happened_ , though?” 

Doctor Evergreen blinked and glanced at the elf. “Oh… Good Frond, I thought you knew? Well then, you know he was in a shuttle accident?” He continued once Grub had nodded. “Right. From what we could gather, there was some sort of unexpected jolt and the shuttle slammed into the chute wall. From there, Major Kelp tried to correct the error, but due to the damage to the shuttle, he ended up slamming into another part of the chute, thankfully closer to the shuttleport this time as he was attempting to get back to land.”

He sighed. “I don’t know how he managed to get that shuttle back considering the shape it was in, not to mention his condition, but he did it. Though he didn’t exactly land it in the port, it was more of a crash really. The thing was completely wrecked. Emergency crews had to cut into it to pull him out. He was unconscious and his magic had run out by this point. Most of it went to trying to heal the wound where a titanium rod from the shuttle had gone through his shoulder. It was enough to prevent him from bleeding out.” 

Doctor Evergreen consulted his chart again. “Other injuries consisted of a broken arm, 3 fractured ribs, and a concussion. All mostly healed by the time we reached him, aside from his shoulder. We did have to remove the rod and then a team of medic warlocks healed him afterwards.” He offered Grub a reassuring smile. “In short, he’s fine now. He’ll be sore for a while and needs to rest until he can complete the Ritual.”

They had stopped in front of a door and Evergreen nodded towards it. “You can go in and see him. He’s awake. Take all the time you need.”

Grub had just been listening for all the time the doctor was speaking. He was a touch pale as he understood just how bad it had actually been. He managed a nod as he realized that Evergreen had finished and he looked towards the door to Trouble’s room. “Th- Thank you, Doctor. You guys have done a great job.” He forced a weak smile as he pushed open the door as slowly as he could. 

Trouble was lying back on the bed, his eyes closed. His left arm was in a sling and Grub could see a thin scar across the opposite shoulder. He swallowed, pausing a few feet away. “T-Trubs?” He stammered.

The elder Kelp stirred, blearily opening his violet eyes, staring at Grub for a moment before the situation registered. “Oh, D’Arvit.... Grub. I’m fine. Don’t give me that look… I promise I’m okay.” He sat up, wincing as he jostled his arm.

Grub stared at him, his eyes watery. He couldn’t help it. He was worried. “I-I... I thought your arm was healed?” 

“It is. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt,” he grumbled. “They’re making me wear this sling because they don’t want me to move it too much right now.” 

“You should lie back down then… Please, Trubs. Take it easy. You just had a major healing… I… you were lucky, the doc says.”

Trouble snorted as he leaned back against the pillows. “Yeah. Lucky I didn’t fall into the Earth’s core,” he mumbled, looking away from his brother. Grub was always the more emotional of the two and Trouble hated being in such a vulnerable state in front of his little brother. Grub, however, had more important things to worry about right now.

Grub shook his head quickly. “Don’t talk about that. You… you’re a great pilot. There was just a bit of a slip up and you maneuvered your way out of it.” He was trying to be positive about it, not only for Trouble’s sake, but for his own as well. He didn’t want to think about what would have happened if Trouble hadn’t been able to get out of the chute. 

....Too late. 

Trouble huffed and closed his eyes again. “If I were a great pilot, I wouldn’t have gotten distracted in the chute. I never would have slammed into the wall in the first place. I wouldn’t have been flying over three times the recommended speed for the security checks.” When Grub didn’t speak, he turned his head back to Grub. “I bet they didn’t tell you that.” 

Grub remained silent, a mix of emotions flickering in his eyes. Fear, anxiety… and anger? He felt it building up inside of him suddenly. “Three times… over what you should have been going?” He stated, his voice cool. He knew his brother had a reckless streak, but this… this was extreme, even for him.

“Yep. Come on, Grub. If I hadn’t been flying at those speeds, do you think I would be here right now? I might have scratched the wings a bit, but total the shuttle?” Trouble laughed, a harsh, bitter bark. It wasn’t something Grub had heard from him before. “I’ll probably be lucky to still have flight clearance after this is over.”

There was nothing but silence for the next few minutes. Grub stood there, looking at Trouble like he had lost his mind. Trouble turned away from him and if he could have crossed his arms, he would have. Eventually though, Grub snapped out of his stupor, his anger fueling his outburst. Not something that he'd really ever done, but well, there had never been a situation like this before.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he hissed, resisting the urge to shove his brother. He was injured, after all. "D'arvit Trouble! You could have _died_ and you're laughing about it?" Grub shoved a chair out of his way and it toppled over onto its side. "I… you're a Major, Trubs! You know the rules! You know the safety regulations! What was so important and distracting that you decided it was okay to risk your life like that!?" 

Grub was pacing now, the tips his ears bright red. "I-I… D'arvit!" He swore again, something he rarely did. An afternoon of gut-wrenching dread fed his anger and by Frond, he wasn't going to stay quiet about it! "That would have been some event for Mum to come home to after her vacation, Trubs. You'd think that after what happened to Dad, you’d know better than to pull a stupid stunt like this!" he snapped, hot tears rolling down his face. He sank into the chair that he hadn't pushed over, wiping at his eyes.

Trouble's jaw was clenched and he couldn't bring himself to look at his brother. Grub was right, he knew that, but he couldn't admit what was going on. What had been bothering him all afternoon. Could he? He liked to keep his personal feelings just that. Personal. 

"I… she's gone, Grub," he blurted, still refusing to look at him. 

Grub sniffled, glancing at him. "What? Who's gone?"

Another moment of silence passed by. "Holly," Trouble responded. "She's gone and no one knows if she's ever going to be back. Off on yet another daring save-the-world adventure with Artemis D'arvitting Fowl. This time in Limbo to save the Demons. Which in itself is a noble cause… but it's always Fowl. Always." 

He sat up and hurled one of his pillows, which hit the wall with a soft thud as he drifted back into icy silence.

The brothers sat there, each quietly fuming for their own reasons. Eventually, Grub walked over to pick up the pillow and bring it back over. "I… Trubs... Trouble. You don't still have feelings for--"

"No. That's irrelevant. It's...." Trouble cut him off, a bit too quickly, and took the pillow back. The way the tips of his ears turned a bit pink told Grub otherwise. "It's more of the fact that she's one of my best friends, Grub. I haven't even seen her but a couple of times since she quit.... but I.... she's with him again. He's dragged her off to Frond knows where and the likelihood that they'll be back is slim to none. It's more likely that a swear toad would start speaking in sonnets."

Trouble shook his head. "Don't mind me. I'm a fool. There are more important things in life. I… when I went out to do the security checks in E1, an email had just been sent out to everyone in the force about the demon situation and I was angry. I should have taken a moment to cool off, but I had Sool yelling in my ear that he wanted all of the security checks done today and wanted no excuses for why they weren't done." 

Grub sat on the edge of the bed, just listening. Trouble needed to vent, he realized. He would listen for as long as his brother needed him to.

"So combine that with my anger over Fowl… I got into that shuttle and took off. Already too fast from the start. I remember thinking, 'If Sool wants all of these checks done today, then he's going to get them in record time. Damn the consequences.' I didn't care about the speed, I wasn't even thinking about any of that, I just… for once I was so fed up with my job that I just wanted to go home and not have to think about anything." Trouble huffed and started to get up. He still wanted to go home. Maybe he was healed enough to be discharged…

Grub seemed to read his mind and he gently pushed him back down. "Absolutely not, Trubs. You're going to stay right here in this bed until a doctor says you can go." 

"You sound like Mum. Especially when you went off on me. I... Thank you, Grub. I suppose I deserved that. I was stupid. I had it coming." Trouble admitted then, allowing Grub to push him back on the bed. "Speaking of Mum… she doesn't know about the accident, does she? I don't want her to come home early because of this… there's a reason I have you down as my emergency contact, you know." 

He seemed slightly fretted over it. Rosemary Kelp was a force of nature that you did not want to cross. If she knew Trouble had been so reckless out there… it didn't matter if he was grown or not, there would be hell to pay. Grub laughed and shook his head, a bit of hair flopping into his eyes, which he promptly pushed back. 

"No. She doesn't. I almost didn't know either, it seems there was a bit of a communication error." He shrugged. "It's fine though. Vein told me where you were when I came to meet you at what should have been the end of your shift."

Trouble raised an eyebrow at his brother. "You went to Police Plaza to find me? You haven't set foot there since you quit."

Grub nodded, reaching for his phone. His application had been long forgotten, but he knew exactly what he was going to do. He accepted the admission offer before holding the device out to Trouble. "I wanted to tell you that I got into West Haven. I… I was having second thoughts about it and wanted to talk to you, but I'm fine now. I've made the decision to go."

Trouble took it and read everything over, a huge grin appearing on his face. "Grub… this is fantastic! You're going to do great." he added, handing the phone back to Grub. "You know… we should celebrate. Granted, I can't exactly leave right now."

Grub felt his stomach rumble. He couldn't remember the last time he ate. "How about I go pick up Chinese, from that place down on Pine Street?" Before Trouble could respond, Grub shushed him. "I know what you want. Sweet and sour tofu, noodles instead of rice…. And one of those fizzy strawberry drinks. Don't worry. It's on me tonight, Trubs."

Trouble laughed and lightly shoved his shoulder. "Sounds good, Grubs. I'll be waiting right here."

"You better be or I just might have to call Mummy and let her know you were naughty." He teased and quickly headed for the door as Trouble reached for something to throw. Grub walked faster, laughing as a pillow connected with the back of his head.


End file.
